Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as preventing school districts from hiring, employing, or otherwise using teacher aides, instructional aides, or teacher-assistants under the terms of existing law and financial support formulas. The commission may study the various roles of such paraprofessionals.

Public and private colleges, universities, and community colleges may develop cooperative programs with school districts or school governing boards to place undergraduate and graduate students in public and private classrooms as teacher aides or assistants. Such assignment may be, at the discretion of the institution, the basis for securing college credit.

A certificate to serve as a temporary teacher-assistant shall be issued, by the county superintendent of schools of the county in which service is to be rendered, to the holder of a recommendation from an accredited college, university, or community college. The certificate shall authorize the holder to serve as a teacher-assistant. No such certificate shall be granted for a period exceeding two years.

The teacher-assistant certificate shall not be used in lieu of a teaching credential. The holder of such a certificate shall work under the immediate supervision of a credentialed classroom teacher to whom the teacher-assistant is assigned, who shall be present in the classroom while the teacher-assistant is performing his or her classroom duties or who shall be available at all times to provide guidance and direction to the teacher-assistant.

(Amended by Stats. 1994, Ch. 840, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 1995.)